1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a card clothing for cards and/or carding machines, the card clothing having the form of several coating material layers which are preferably composed of cotton and are connected through a binding agent with each other and with an elastomer cover layer provided on one of the outer sides to form a coating material unit and which are equipped with hooks, preferably double hooks, which extend transversely of the coating material layers and which extend through the coating layers in the direction toward the elastomer cover layer and protrude with their tips, wherein further, preferably for reducing the harmful influences on the carding process resulting from electrostatic charges of the coating material unit due to accumulations of fibers and/or dust in the clothing area, inhibitors which at least reduce the generation of the causal electrostatic charges are added in the clothing area.
2. Description of the Related Art
Concerning the construction of the above-mentioned card clothes and the use of suitable fabrics, reference is being made to the relevant technical literature, namely, British Patent 6584 (1834), and also "Handbuch der Baumwollspinnerei" [Manual of cotton spinning], volume 1, Leipzig 1902, page 397 ff., and volume 3, Leipzig 1948, page 253 ff. and page 478 ff.
The above-mentioned problem of static charging during the carding process, i.e., the electrostatic charging of the textile staple fibers to be carded with the negative effect on the ejection of these fibers has been known for several decades.
For eliminating short fibers or dust particles which adhere to the elastomer cover layer or the coating material surface of card clothing or card fillet clothing and lead to quality reductions, the cards or carding machines are conventionally kept clean by means of suction devices which are integrated in today's modern high-capacity machines. However, in spite of their relatively high energy consumption, they are not capable of completely eliminating and discharging the short fibers and dust particles which adhere due to the electrostatic charging. Rather, in the desire to optimize the removal by increasing the suction power, it has been found that parts of the fiber material to be processed are also grasped and discharged in a disadvantageous manner.
In order to reduce this charging and, thus, the negative effects, it has already been proposed to arrange underneath the licker-in grate of a card and/or carding machine a so-called static plate of a type of plush, then a ribbed brass sheet and finally a special synthetic resin substance. Also known is the use of an electrically conductive clothing which is capable of discharging the charge and, thus, of reducing the adherence of the fibers to the clothing, so that a better removal or discharge of undesired short fibers is achieved. For this purpose, as proposed in "Klepzigs Textil-Zeitschrift" 1938, Volume 45, an electrically conductive coating material in the form of a multiple material layer unit with rubber covered plate is to be used in which a temporary reduction of the static charging could be achieved as a result of chemicals added to the natural rubber. The effect of the electrostatic inhibitors was also further reduced by the evaporation of the solvents of the natural rubber, such as toluene, heptane or industrial gasoline, even though the rubber cover plate and the adhesives of the card cloth are completely acid-free.